Certain demanding applications require miniaturized multi-wire cable assemblies. To avoid undesirably bulky cables when substantial numbers of conductors are required, very fine conductors are used. To limit electrical noise and interference, coaxial wires having shielding are used for the conductors. In other application, twisted pairs, parallel pairs, unshielded insulated single wires, and other configurations may be employed. A bundle of such wires is surrounded by a conductive shield formed of braided small wires to prevent radio interference from being emitted or received by the cable components. An outer protective sheath covers the shield.
Some applications requiring many different conductors prefer that a cable be very flexible, supple, or “floppy.” This has been achieved by providing a shielding braid that loosely receives the wires, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,734,362, which is incorporated herein by reference. Because the braid is formed of bare metal wires, it may have an abrasive effect on the bundle of signal wires in certain applications where flexing and external stresses are extreme. Such abrasion may generate open failures in the individual shield wires of coaxial wire components, generating signal noise during operation due to shorting between the now-open wire shield and the outer braided cable shield. Other failure modes include abrasion of wire insulation, which may expose the signal conductors to shorting with the braid or to each other. This is critical because the compact size desired for many such cables requires a very thin insulation layer (in the range of 0.001 to 0.010 inches) on each wire.
Because the stresses and wear are generally concentrated at the ends of a cable near strain relief elements such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,894 (incorporated herein by reference), measures have been taken to protect the cable bundle at such stress points. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,580,034 (incorporated herein by reference), the cable bundle may be wrapped at its ends near the stress points with a low-friction Teflon tape. While effective, this reduces the benefits of a loose shield, which provides the desired supple effect. Tape-wrapped wires are captured in a bundle that does not readily flatten to permit easy bending to small radiuses. This is not problematic for many applications, because the flexibility remains excellent over nearly the entire length of the cable. However, in some applications, flexibility near the ends is a valued characteristic that is preferably not sacrificed. Moreover, for applications in which there is a risk of damage due to intense stresses causing wear anywhere along the entire cable length, wrapping the entire cable bundle with tape to prevent such wear unacceptably sacrifices the flexibility desired for many applications.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a cable assembly having a plurality of wires, each having a first end and an opposed second end. A sheath including an shield encompasses all the wires. The shield is a braid formed of a plurality of braid wires, and each of the braid wires has an insulating coating. The wires of the braid may be gathered at an end into a pigtail. The insulation is removed from the wires at the pig tail. The insulation may be removed by dipping the pigtail in a high temperature solder bath.